Report on Proposed Park System for the City of Dayton, Ohio

Olmsted Brothers, Landscaper Architects

Brookline, Massachusetts

12^th April, 1911

12^th April, 1911

Mr. J. Sprigg McMahon, Secretary,

            Board of Park Commissioners, Dayton, Ohio.

Dear Sir:

            We take pleasure in submitting through your Board to the people of Dayton our report upon a scheme for a comprehensive system of parks and parkways for the City of Dayton.

            We find the city one of the most rapidly growing and one of the most prosperous of many in one of the most populous and prosperous states of the Union. In population Ohio is the fourth state and Dayton is the forty-third city in the Union. It has increased 36.6 per cent in ten years. There appear to be no unusual natural resources, the exploitation of which has caused this prosperity of Dayton. We must attribute it, therefore, to the intelligence and industry of its people. It is consequently not surprising, though very gratifying, to note the many evidence of a general desire for and appreciation of the usual physical utilities of a modern civilized municipality—the wide streets, the miles of excellent paving, the sewerage system and water supply, the street lighting, the numerous churches, the imposing handsome office buildings and the public library and other public buildings. Since the people of the city have thus, and in others ways, clearly manifested their desire to have the city well equipped for business and convenient and attractive for residence, and since they have spent much in desirable improvements, it will be aidful for them to consider some desiderata that are lacking and some things which could well be improved and extended. Among such desiderata it is our special function to advise upon the subject of parks and parkways.

            That cities should have parks is convincingly demonstrated by the fact that many cities have gone to great expense to provide themselves with parks. To give some idea of what cities comparable in population with what Dayton has now or may reasonable hope of have within a few decades, the following table is presented:

Comparative Statistics of American Cities